Field measurement system

ABSTRACT

A system is provided for measuring field conditions of soccer fields. In one embodiment, an inventive system includes a central management system; a testing soccer ball for testing a ground of a soccer field; a GPS receiver mounted inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the GPS receiver detects velocity of the soccer ball; sends RF signals to the central management system; locates current position of the soccer ball; and locates current attitude of the soccer ball from the ground of the soccer field. The system also includes a RFID tag including a RFID antenna mounted on surface of the testing soccer ball; a soccer ball transmitter located on one end of a field; a RFID reader located on another end of the field, wherein the reader detects the RFID tag when the soccer ball passes through the reader. The system further includes a control processing unit and a memory located inside the testing soccer ball.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is generally related to measuring field conditions of soccer fields. Specifically, but not limited to, this invention relates to detecting velocity of the soccer ball, sending RF signals to the central management system; locating current position of the soccer ball, and locating current attitude of the soccer ball from the ground of the soccer field.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sports, which generally is divided into contact sports and non-contact sports, can be entertaining to not only spectators but also players. Players are competitive in nature. Each player participating in a game tries to perform their best abilities during the game. A lot of times, players fail to realize the risk of injury when they are involved in sports. Certain sports are less likely to cause injuries. For example, table tennis is a non-contact sport where players on each side, no matter how aggressive their styles, would unlikely cause injuries to opposing players. On the other hand, football is a full contact sport where contacts between players are unavoidable. When players are pursuing the football in the most crucial moment of a game, it is foreseeable that contacts would occur when one player hits or collides into another player. To parents, in particular, careful selections should be made before allowing their children to participate in sports that may be more easily cause injuries to children.

Besides from the player styles, there are other aspects of every sport that may cause more physical harm than others. Field condition is one area that often been ignored by players or their parents. Indoor sports are usually impacted slightly by field or weather conditions. However, sports that are held outdoor should heighten safety concerns for the players of the sports. In soccer, for example, the conditions of a soccer field can be crucial to soccer players. During a game, players may be easily injured if playing on a field that covers with uneven or rough areas. To protect themselves, some players choose to wear special equipment if the playing field is slippery or speed of grass is particular fast. The trouble is, given a field, there may be areas where they are particular rough or uneven. In that case, there is a strong need to test if there are spots in a soccer field that may be dangerous to players. Some of these spots may be hidden even to the sport organizers. These spots should be identified. If the conditions are poor to the degree that no sports should be allowed in the field, proper measures should be performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention include a system for measuring field conditions of soccer fields. In one embodiment, the system includes a central management system; a testing soccer ball for testing a ground of a soccer field; a GPS receiver mounted inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the GPS receiver detects velocity of the soccer ball; sends RF signals to the central management system; locates current position of the soccer ball; and locates current attitude of the soccer ball from the ground of the soccer field. The embodied system also includes a RFID tag including a RFID antenna mounted on surface of the testing soccer ball; a soccer ball transmitter located on one end of a field; a RFID reader located on another end of the field, wherein the reader detects the RFID tag when the soccer ball passes through the reader. In the embodiment, the system further includes the central management system that is notified by the soccer ball transmitter located on the one end of the field that testing has started, right after the soccer ball is being transmitted by the soccer ball transmitter. The central management system is notified by the reader that testing has been completed, right after the reader detects the soccer ball passing through the reader from the one end of the field. The system contains a control processing unit and a memory located inside the testing soccer ball.

Further in the embodiment, the exemplary memory includes executable steps, wherein the steps comprise measuring conditions of the soccer ball, as soon as the soccer ball transmitter begins the testing by transmitting the testing soccer ball from the one end of the field. When the testing soccer ball starts rolling on the ground of the soccer field towards the another end of the field, the inventive system continuously measures the velocity of the soccer ball, using the GPS receiver included in the soccer ball. The system then identifies a rough or uneven area where players easily get injured, using the GPS receiver to monitor any abrupt changes with respect to the measured velocity of the soccer ball. When the abrupt changes with respect to the measured velocity of the soccer ball occurs, the exemplary system uses the GPS receiver to send information to the central management system for recording, wherein the information includes i) corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occur, as measured by the GPS receiver, wherein the corresponding locations represent rough or uneven areas where players easily get injured, and the information includes measurements showing the abrupt changes with respect to the measured velocity of the soccer ball. When passing through the RFID reader, the inventive system uses the GPS receiver to notify the central management system that testing has been completed.

In accordance with one aspect of the embodiment, after measuring the conditions of the soccer ball, as soon as the soccer ball transmitter begins the testing by transmitting the testing soccer ball from the one end of the field; the inventive system may continuously, using the GPS receiver, to send information to the central management system for recording, wherein the information includes corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occur, as measured by the GPS receiver. The information may also include the measurements showing the measured velocity of the soccer ball. In such a case, when passing through the RFID reader, the GPS receiver may be used to notify the central management system that testing has been completed. Subsequently, the central management system may be requested to perform a numeric analysis to identify any abrupt changes with respect to velocities of the soccer ball that are sent by the testing soccer ball, wherein after identifying the abrupt changes, the central management system identifies the corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occurred, wherein the corresponding locations represent rough or uneven areas where players easily get injured.

According to an additional embodiment, after measuring the conditions of the soccer ball, the GPS receiver included in the soccer ball may be used to continuously measure the velocity of the soccer ball, when the testing soccer ball starts rolling on the ground of the soccer field towards the another end of the field. To identify a fastest area of the field, the GPS receiver may further be used to continuously monitor the measured velocity of the soccer ball. When a measured velocity is faster than prior measured velocities, the GPS receiver may be used to send information to the central management system for recording, wherein the information includes i) corresponding location where the faster measurement is obtained, and ii) information relating to the faster velocity that is measured. When passing through the RFID reader, the GPS receiver can also be used to notify the central management system that testing has been completed, wherein i) the measured velocity last sent by the GPS receiver represents the fastest velocity and ii) the corresponding location represents the fastest area of the soccer field.

Alternatively, after measuring the conditions of the soccer ball, the GPS receiver may be used continuously to send information to the central management system for recording, wherein the information includes i) corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occur, as measured by the GPS receiver, and ii) the measurements showing the measured velocity of the soccer ball. When passing through the RFID reader, the GPS receiver may be used to notify the central management system that testing has been completed. Further, the central management system may be requested to perform a numeric analysis to identify i) the highest velocity from the received measurements and ii) the corresponding location where the highest velocity is measured, wherein the corresponding location represents the fastest area of the field.

In yet another alternative embodiment, as soon as the soccer ball starts rolling, notifying the central management server to record start rolling time; the central management server may be notified to record finish rolling time, as soon as the soccer ball is detected by the RFID reader, wherein the central management system computes the rolling time in view of the start rolling time and the finish rolling time. The whole process may be repeated for a second soccer field to determine which soccer field yields a faster field, by comparing which field has a corresponding shorter rolling time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various embodiments and aspects of the present invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for measuring field conditions, consistent with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention relates to a system for measuring field conditions of soccer fields. Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary system is illustrated. The system includes a central management system; a testing soccer ball for testing a ground of a soccer field; a GPS receiver (120) mounted inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the GPS receiver (120) detects velocity of the soccer ball; sends RF signals to the central management system; locates current position of the soccer ball; and locates current attitude of the soccer ball from the ground of the soccer field. The exemplary system includes a RFID tag (130) including a RFID antenna mounted on surface of the testing soccer ball; a soccer ball transmitter (140) located on one end of a field; a RFID reader (150) located on another end of the field, wherein the reader detects the RFID tag (130) when the soccer ball passes through the reader. The central management system (100) is notified by the soccer ball transmitter (140) located on the one end of the field that testing has started, right after the soccer ball is being transmitted by the soccer ball transmitter. The central management system (100) is notified by the reader that testing has been completed, right after the reader detects the soccer ball passing through the reader from the one end of the field. The exemplary system includes a control processing unit and a memory located inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the memory includes executable steps, wherein the steps comprise measuring conditions of the soccer ball, as soon as the soccer ball transmitter (140) begins the testing by transmitting the testing soccer ball from the one end of the field. When the testing soccer ball starts rolling on the ground of the soccer field towards the another end of the field, the GPS receiver (120) included in the soccer ball may be used to continuously measure the velocity of the soccer ball. To identify a rough or uneven area where players easily get injured, the GPS receiver (120) may be used to monitor any abrupt changes with respect to the measured velocity of the soccer ball. When the abrupt changes with respect to the measured velocity of the soccer ball occur, the GPS receiver (120) may be used to send information to the central management system (100) for recording, wherein the information includes i) corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occur, as measured by the GPS receiver, wherein the corresponding locations represent rough or uneven areas where players easily get injured, and ii) the measurements showing the abrupt changes with respect to the measured velocity of the soccer ball. When passing through the RFID reader, the GPS receiver (120) may be used to notify the central management system (100) that testing has been completed.

In a different aspect of the invention, the inventive system comprises a central management system; a testing soccer ball for testing a ground of a soccer field; a GPS receiver (120) mounted inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the GPS receiver (120) detects velocity of the soccer ball; sends RF signals to the central management system; locates current position of the soccer ball; and locates current attitude of the soccer ball from the ground of the soccer field. The exemplary system includes a RFID tag (130) including a RFID antenna mounted on surface of the testing soccer ball; a soccer ball transmitter (140) located on one end of a field; a RFID reader (150) located on another end of the field, wherein the reader detects the RFID tag (130) when the soccer ball passes through the reader. Further, the central management system (100) is notified by the soccer ball transmitter (140) located on the one end of the field that testing has started, right after the soccer ball is being transmitted by the soccer ball transmitter. The central management system (100) can also be notified by the reader that testing has been completed, right after the reader detects the soccer ball passing through the reader from the one end of the field. The system further includes a control processing unit and a memory located inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the memory includes executable steps, wherein the steps comprise measuring conditions of the soccer ball, as soon as the soccer ball transmitter (140) begins the testing by transmitting the testing soccer ball from the one end of the field; continuously, using the GPS receiver (120) to send information to the central management system (100) for recording, wherein the information includes i) corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occur, as measured by the GPS receiver, and ii) the measurements showing the measured velocity of the soccer ball; when passing through the RFID reader, using the GPS receiver (120) to notify the central management system (100) that testing has been completed; and requesting the central management system (100) to perform a numeric analysis to identify any abrupt changes with respect to velocities of the soccer ball that are sent by the testing soccer ball, wherein after identifying the abrupt changes, the central management system (100) identifies the corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occurred, wherein the corresponding locations represent rough or uneven areas where players easily get injured.

In another implementation, the inventive system comprises a testing soccer ball for testing a ground of a soccer field; a GPS receiver (120) mounted inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the GPS receiver (120) detects velocity of the soccer ball; sends RF signals to the central management system; locates current position of the soccer ball; and locates current attitude of the soccer ball from the ground of the soccer field. The exemplary includes a RFID tag (130) including a RFID antenna mounted on surface of the testing soccer ball; a soccer ball transmitter (140) located on one end of a field; a RFID reader (150) located on another end of the field, wherein the reader detects the RFID tag (130) when the soccer ball passes through the reader, Further, the central management system (100) may be notified by the soccer ball transmitter (140) located on the one end of the field that testing has started, right after the soccer ball is being transmitted by the soccer ball transmitter. Likewise, the central management system (100) may be notified by the reader that testing has been completed, right after the reader detects the soccer ball passing through the reader from the one end of the field. The inventive system may include a control processing unit and a memory located inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the memory includes executable steps, wherein the steps comprise: measuring conditions of the soccer ball, as soon as the soccer ball transmitter (140) begins the testing by transmitting the testing soccer ball from the one end of the field; when the testing soccer ball starts rolling on the ground of the soccer field towards the another end of the field, continuously measuring the velocity of the soccer ball, using the GPS receiver (120) included in the soccer ball; to identify a fastest area of the field, using the GPS receiver (120) to continuously monitor the measured velocity of the soccer ball. When a measured velocity is faster than prior measured velocities, using the GPS receiver (120) to send information to the central management system (100) for recording, wherein the information includes i) corresponding location where the faster measurement is obtained, and ii) information relating to the faster velocity that is measured; and when passing through the RFID reader, using the GPS receiver (120) to notify the central management system (100) that testing has been completed, wherein i) the measured velocity last sent by the GPS receiver (120) represents the fastest velocity and ii) the corresponding location represents the fastest area of the soccer field.

In another exemplary implementation, the present system includes a central management system; a testing soccer ball for testing a ground of a soccer field; a GPS receiver (120) mounted inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the GPS receiver (120) detects velocity of the soccer ball; sends RF signals to the central management system; locates current position of the soccer ball; and locates current attitude of the soccer ball from the ground of the soccer field; a RFID tag (130) including a RFID antenna mounted on surface of the testing soccer ball; a soccer ball transmitter (140) located on one end of a field; a RFID reader (150) located on another end of the field, wherein the reader detects the RFID tag (130) when the soccer ball passes through the reader. The central management system (100) may be notified by the soccer ball transmitter (140) located on the one end of the field that testing has started, right after the soccer ball is being transmitted by the soccer ball transmitter; and the central management system (100) may be notified by the reader that testing has been completed, right after the reader detects the soccer ball passing through the reader from the one end of the field. A control processing unit and a memory located inside the testing soccer ball may be included, wherein the memory includes executable steps, wherein the steps comprise measuring conditions of the soccer ball, as soon as the soccer ball transmitter (140) begins the testing by transmitting the testing soccer ball from the one end of the field; continuously, using the GPS receiver (120) to send information to the central management system (100) for recording, wherein the information includes i) corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occur, as measured by the GPS receiver, and ii) the measurements showing the measured velocity of the soccer ball. When passing through the RFID reader, the GPS receiver (120) may be used to notify the central management system (100) that testing has been completed; and may be used to request the central management system (100) to perform a numeric analysis to identify i) the highest velocity from the received measurements and ii) the corresponding location where the highest velocity is measured, wherein the corresponding location represents the fastest area of the field.

In yet a alternative implementation, a system is provided, comprising a central management system; a testing soccer ball for testing a ground of a soccer field; a GPS receiver (120) mounted inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the GPS receiver (120) detects velocity of the soccer ball; sends RF signals to the central management system; locates current position of the soccer ball; and locates current attitude of the soccer ball from the ground of the soccer field. The system includes a RFID tag (130) including a RFID antenna mounted on surface of the testing soccer ball; a soccer ball transmitter (140) located on one end of a field; a RFID reader (150) located on another end of the field, wherein the reader detects the RFID tag (130) when the soccer ball passes through the reader. The central management system (100) may be notified by the soccer ball transmitter (140) located on the one end of the field that testing has started, right after the soccer ball is being transmitted by the soccer ball transmitter; and the central management system (100) may be notified by the reader that testing has been completed, right after the reader detects the soccer ball passing through the reader from the one end of the field. A control processing unit and a memory located inside the testing soccer ball are provided, wherein the memory includes executable steps, wherein the steps comprise as soon as the soccer ball starts rolling, notifying the central management server to record start rolling time; notifying the central management server to record finish rolling time, as soon as the soccer ball is detected by the RFID reader, wherein the central management system (100) computes the rolling time in view of the start rolling time and the finish rolling time; and repeating the whole process for a second soccer field to determine which soccer field yields a faster field, by comparing which field has a corresponding shorter rolling time.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced, with modification, in other environments. For example, although the invention described above can be conveniently implemented in a general purpose computer selectively reconfigured or activated by software, those skilled in the art would recognize that the invention could be carried out in hardware, in firmware or in any combination of software, firmware or hardware including a special purpose apparatus specifically designed to perform the described invention. Therefore, changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims. 

1. A system for measuring field conditions of soccer fields, comprising: a central management system; a testing soccer ball for testing a ground of a soccer field; a GPS receiver mounted inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the GPS receiver detects velocity of the soccer ball; sends RF signals to the central management system; locates current position of the soccer ball; and locates current attitude of the soccer ball from the ground of the soccer field; a RFID tag including a RFID antenna mounted on surface of the testing soccer ball; a soccer ball transmitter located on one end of a field; a RFID reader located on another end of the field, wherein the reader detects the RFID tag when the soccer ball passes through the reader; the central management system is notified by the soccer ball transmitter located on the one end of the field that testing has started, right after the soccer ball is being transmitted by the soccer ball transmitter; and the central management system is notified by the reader that testing has been completed, right after the reader detects the soccer ball passing through the reader from the one end of the field; a control processing unit and a memory located inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the memory includes executable steps.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the steps comprise: measuring conditions of the soccer ball, as soon as the soccer ball transmitter begins the testing by transmitting the testing soccer ball from the one end of the field; when the testing soccer ball starts rolling on the ground of the soccer field towards the another end of the field, continuously measuring the velocity of the soccer ball, using the GPS receiver included in the soccer ball; to identify a rough or uneven area where players easily get injured, using the GPS receiver to monitor any abrupt changes with respect to the measured velocity of the soccer ball; when the abrupt changes with respect to the measured velocity of the soccer ball occur, using the GPS receiver to send information to the central management system for recording, wherein the information includes i) corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occur, as measured by the GPS receiver, wherein the corresponding locations represent rough or uneven areas where players easily get injured, and ii) the measurements showing the abrupt changes with respect to the measured velocity of the soccer ball; and when passing through the RFID reader, using the GPS receiver to notify the central management system that testing has been completed.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the steps comprise: measuring conditions of the soccer ball, as soon as the soccer ball transmitter begins the testing by transmitting the testing soccer ball from the one end of the field; continuously, using the GPS receiver to send information to the central management system for recording, wherein the information includes i) corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occur, as measured by the GPS receiver, and ii) the measurements showing the measured velocity of the soccer ball; when passing through the RFID reader, using the GPS receiver to notify the central management system that testing has been completed; and requesting the central management system to perform a numeric analysis to identify any abrupt changes with respect to velocities of the soccer ball that are sent by the testing soccer ball, wherein after identifying the abrupt changes, the central management system identifies the corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occurred, wherein the corresponding locations represent rough or uneven areas where players easily get injured.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the steps comprise: measuring conditions of the soccer ball, as soon as the soccer ball transmitter begins the testing by transmitting the testing soccer ball from the one end of the field; when the testing soccer ball starts rolling on the ground of the soccer field towards the another end of the field, continuously measuring the velocity of the soccer ball, using the GPS receiver included in the soccer ball; to identify a fastest area of the field, using the GPS receiver to continuously monitor the measured velocity of the soccer ball; and when a measured velocity is faster than prior measured velocities, using the GPS receiver to send information to the central management system for recording, wherein the information includes i) corresponding location where the faster measurement is obtained, and ii) information relating to the faster velocity that is measured; and when passing through the RFID reader, using the GPS receiver to notify the central management system that testing has been completed, wherein i) the measured velocity last sent by the GPS receiver represents the fastest velocity and ii) the corresponding location represents the fastest area of the soccer field.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the steps comprise: measuring conditions of the soccer ball, as soon as the soccer ball transmitter begins the testing by transmitting the testing soccer ball from the one end of the field; continuously, using the GPS receiver to send information to the central management system for recording, wherein the information includes i) corresponding locations where the abrupt changes occur, as measured by the GPS receiver, and ii) the measurements showing the measured velocity of the soccer ball; and when passing through the RFID reader, using the GPS receiver to notify the central management system that testing has been completed; and requesting the central management system to perform a numeric analysis to identify i) the highest velocity from the received measurements and ii) the corresponding location where the highest velocity is measured, wherein the corresponding location represents the fastest area of the field.
 6. A system for measuring field conditions of soccer fields, comprising: a central management system; a testing soccer ball for testing a ground of a soccer field; a GPS receiver mounted inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the GPS receiver detects velocity of the soccer ball; sends RF signals to the central management system; locates current position of the soccer ball; and locates current attitude of the soccer ball from the ground of the soccer field; a RFID tag including a RFID antenna mounted on surface of the testing soccer ball; a soccer ball transmitter located on one end of a field; a RFID reader located on another end of the field, wherein the reader detects the RFID tag when the soccer ball passes through the reader; the central management system is notified by the soccer ball transmitter located on the one end of the field that testing has started, right after the soccer ball is being transmitted by the soccer ball transmitter; and the central management system is notified by the reader that testing has been completed, right after the reader detects the soccer ball passing through the reader from the one end of the field; a control processing unit and a memory located inside the testing soccer ball, wherein the memory includes executable steps, wherein the steps comprise: as soon as the soccer ball starts rolling, notifying the central management server to record start rolling time; notifying the central management server to record finish rolling time, as soon as the soccer ball is detected by the RFID reader, wherein the central management system computes the rolling time in view of the start rolling time and the finish rolling time; and repeating the whole process for a second soccer field to determine which soccer field yields a faster field, by comparing which field has a corresponding shorter rolling time. 